Tuesday, 1 January 2013

Khicheri (Indian Baby Rice)

I've seen recipes like this one in various places, but none suitable for vegans. I was keen to try something different as I'd had resistance from my daughter when it came to introducing new or 'stronger' flavors - but I'm happy to report that despite this being pretty fragrant, she loves it!

A few variations are possible - you could try adding some spinach or substituting the lentils for pre-soaked soya beans (this would significantly add to the cooking time, but is a good way to add to the variety of legumes your child eats).

This makes enough for one portion for my daughter, but you might need to alter the amount of rice and lentils according to appetite.

Ingredients

25g rice

25g red split lentils

2 chopped and de-seeded tomatoes

1 TSP crushed garlic

1 TSP crushed ginger

1/2 TBSP vegan margarine

2 TBSP plain soya yoghurt (Alpro etc)

Cook white rice (you can use brown but cooking time would be around 45 mins) and lentils in two cups of water for 20 minutes on a medium heat.

Once cooked, drain and add back to the pan. Add the margarine,tomatoes,garlic and ginger and 'fry' for around 3 - 4 minutes.

Add your fried mixture to a blender, along with the yoghurt and pulse until smooth. If it is too thick, add a little soya milk suitable for infants (Alpro Junior/ formula) until you have the desired consistency.